Friendship is Alchemy?
by ShinigamiOkami
Summary: Manticores? Cockatrices? No, those are chimeras. Don't worry, the military'll save everypony-whoops. Looks like pegasi and unicorns aren't too common here, either. How will the Mane 6 handle the bloodthirsty world of Amestris? How will they get back to their peaceful home of Equestria? Why in Celestia's name am I asking you? A Fullmetal Alchemist and MLP crossover. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

She tore down the dirt trail, kicking up all she could. Unfortunately, she wasn't built for running; rather, flying was her first language, but it seemed she'd have to go with the latter for now. Her wing had been bent by that manticore's harsh attack, leaving her hooves to be her only hope. Her friends were right by her, wondering what in Equestria was going on.

They take their first steps into this new, awe-inspiring world of buildings and odd machines, and the next moment they end up being struck down by some lion-lizard hybrid. They assumed it to be like on of the creatures of the Everfree forest, but this beast was far more aggresive, far more powerful than they had assumed. "Hurry it up, girls!" Twilight egged them on, namely to Rarity trailing in the back, Fluttershy second. Pinkie, Dash, and AJ were up in the lead, being the fastest there. However, for Dash and AJ, this was no race like the Leaf Running contest; it was one for survival.

Suddenly, their attacker ceased its pursuit, but not out of will. One of the bipedaled creatures, this one dressed in uniform, held a shaky, metallic, black...something. They had no clue what it could be, but it had stopped the manticore-type monster. The ponies collectively sighed, taking a moment to catch their breath.

"Thank you, sir," Twilight stepped over to the being, which jumped at her approach. "Wh-What the...? S-Stay back! I'm warning y-you!" He pointed the weapon at the purple pony, who took a step back. "Whoa, easy there...We don't mean any harm..."

Another of the officers, this one grinning, interrupted. "Hey, you got it! Great!" He placed an arm around around his comrade's shoulder. "And on your first day, too! What luck!" He seemed to finally notice the six others close by, namely the one standing nearest. "Hmm? There's more? Well, even better! Whaddya say? Ya wana take 'em back? I bet it'll be a bonus~!"

Dash jumped into the conversation, a bit less friendlier than Twilight. "Now wait, I think we need some answers here! Who-and what-are you guys, anyways? Where are we?" The two males gave her a blank look, to which she stomped her hoof. "Well? Tell us," she snorted, "Or else!"

A pause passed betweent them all, then the cheerier officer clapped. "This is AMAZING! Talking chimeras! Man, wait'll the colonel sees you all."

"Wait, wha-" Dash was cut off by a zap to her hind leg. She craned her neck around to see a small dart there, then back to her assailant. The man did the same her friends, who could only do so much to fight back. AJ's bucking managed to keep one at bay, but another quickly roped her and stuck one of the missed darts into her, Rarity was easily overpowered by the males, and Fluttershy could only run so far until surrounded and subdued. Twilight deflected most with her magic, but one lucky shot and her horn lost its glow. Pinkie bounced around all of them; however, her spastic jerks ended in her accidently sticking herself with one.

The blurry frames of the figures were the last that Rainbow saw as she slipped into a dark world.

~/~

"Colonel! Hey, Colonel!" Hughes burst into the office, more delighted than usual. "You'll never guess~!" He grinned and strode over to the man in question. "Look, I know your daughter's birthday was a few days ago," the raven-haired higher-up replied, "But could you please stop prancing around like that? It's not a big deal."

Hughes nearly fainted as some invisible dramatic light fell over him. "N-Not important?! My little girl is the most important thing in the world!" He quickly recovered and got back to the matter at hand. "But that's not it at all. It's about what I and one of my new recruits found today~!"

Sighing, Mustang decided to humor him with a semi-sarcastic "whatever could it be?" look. Hughes paused for an inaudible drumroll, then announced, "We caught six talking chimeras!" Mustang showed a genuine expression of surprise, eyebrow raised in query. "Talking chimeras?" He grinned. "Show me."

~/~

Dash bumped her head on the bars of a cage as she stood, her multi-colored mane getting caught for a moment before she tugged it free. She glanced over at the others, who seemed to be waking up as well. "Ahh, mah back..." AJ groaned, stretching as best she could, "Now Ah know how Granny Smith felt after fallin' asleep in that cider barrel..."

"Oh, no...o-oh my..."Fluttershy's frantic voice startled everypony. "W-we're...i-in c-c-cages..." She started hyperventalating. "D-Do you know what they do with a-animals in c-cages like this?! They take them to th-the pound, o-o-or some t-testing lab...o-o-o-or worse..." She nearly fainted.

Pinkie started to panick as well, bouncing her cage up and down. "What if we never get out?! I mean, I have a lot of stuff to do today! I think..." Her trailing off was picked up by Rarity. "Nevermind that! Oh, my mane is even worse than earlier!"

"Is everypony alright?" Twilght asked, ignoring their comments and getting shaken affirmitives from all. "Yeah, my wing's still broken, and we're all stuck in cages, " Dash added wryly, "But other than that, we're just peachy!" Rarity piped up, "Yes, do you think you could help us out there, Twilight? You are the magic expert here, so I'm sure this is nothing...right?"

The violet unicorn concentrated on unlocking the cages, bending the bars, making them vanish, anything to get them fre...but her magic had been drained by the sedative. "No use...sorry, girls." She sighed, sitting down, then pricked an ear up at the approach of their captors. She glanced over at Rainbow. "Don't get any ideas, hotshot. Let's just ask them nicely about what's going on." Dash rolled her eyes but complied to Twilight's plan.

The doors to the room opened up, revealing the gleeful officer before, along with a new one. "See? What'd I tell ya, colonel!" The male known as "colonel" kneeled down to their level, head cocked and resting on his arm. "You said they talk, didn't you?"

"Ugh, why is everypony so surprised that we talk," RD groaned, "Of course we talk! Now, can somepony please tell us what the buck is going on here?!"

The higher-up raised an eyebrow, then smiled. Without bothering to look back at his colleague, he instructed, "You can go now, Hughes. I'll deal with the rest." Mr. Hughes seemed to hesitate, but wasn't about to disobey an order. "Alright, Colonel. They're all yours~!" He left carefree, talking to himself about getting more time with his sweet little girl now and leaving the six ponies to their fate with Mustang.

~/~

"Excuse me, sir, but you wouldn't mind telling us where we are, would you?" The purple pony attempted once more at conversation. "Yeah, nopony seems t' wanna do anythin' with us," the pale orange one chimed in, "Well, nothin' 'cept fer prod us and corral us like cattle."

The man took a moment to respond, ignoring them and instead asking, "Do you have names?" He waited for his answer first, getting none. "Alright...look, if you don't want to talk to me, then that's fine." He stood, shrugging. "After all, I only have so much authority here, so if I can't get any info outta you, then, well..."

He saw they were getting worried, and went on. "I'll have to hand you over to the experts. I'm sure they'll be able to make use of you. Y'know, it's pretty convenient that you come in pairs..." He paced in front of them now, using his intimidation skills. "That means I'l keep you, you, aaand you..." He randomly pointed to the purple unicorn, the more rustic earth pony, and the rainbow pegasus. "And I'll send you, you, and...YOU..." He picked out the white one, the pink pony, and the cowering winged mare, "Get to go to the labs."

The last one of the group caught a dizzy spell at his threats, to which the first of them decided enough was enough. "My name is Twilight Sparkle." Mustang accepted her answer with a nod. "Good. It's a pleasure to meet you, miss."

Following up was the hyper one of the group, her mane pink and fluffy. "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie! Say, are you an alien? Oh, oh, or maybe you're like some kinda monkey! I mean, I've seen monkeys before, but not ones that walk on just their back legs, so maybe you're some kinda mutant monkey, like outta the Everfree forest!" She gasped, but, before she could continue, the one in a cowboy hat put a hoof in her mouth.

"Sorry 'bout that. Ah'm Applejack. Nice t' meetcha." She tipped her hat, letting the next pony go. Another unicorn, this one pearly white with a curled mane of violets, spoke up. "I am Rarity. Delighted." She extended a hoof through the bars, which Mustang took cautiously and shook. "U-Umm..." a quiet, hushed tone went next, "I-I'm..."

The second pegasus, pale yellow with a creamy pink mane, took a shaky step out of the far corner of her cage. "I mean...My name is...F-f-fluttershy..." Mustang offered her a calming grin, but it must've come off as scary because the timid pony backed up with a squeak.

"Ain't y'all gonna introduce yerself?" Applejack turned to the sky blue pony, who huffed in return. "Rainbow Dash," she muttered, "Now answer our questions, Mr. Colonel."

The man chuckled at the mare's rebellious response, then situated himself more comfortably. "My name is Roy Mustang," he informed, "And I am a State Alchemist."

~/~

Twilight had read of alchemy before, but it was more of a myth, definitely not factual science like magic was. "I'm sorry," she corrected, "But there's no such thing as alchemy." She saw the look of confusion on the creature's face and brushed it off with a nervous chuckle. "I mean, maybe you just have it confused with magic. You don't have a horn, but your kind must use it a different way than us, since you're clearly not ponies."

Now it was Mr. Mustang's turn to laugh at her logic. "Well, if by 'my kind', you means humans, then no, we don't have horns or magic. That's all fiction and fairy tales. Alchemy is our science." He demonstrated by snapping his fingers, instantly creating a flame that entranced them all. "I'm known as the Flame Alchemist here, and you can see why. Of course, I'm beginning to think that you're not from here, anyways. You all could be chimeras, but no chimera would be able to do what you did to some of my men with that 'magic' horn of yours."

Twilight decided to get on the same page with him, opting to go along with the whole "alchemy is real" bit. "Okay, let's go with that; we're not chimeras-whatever those are-and we're absolutely not from here, since we have no clue what 'humans' are...Yes...yes!" She lit up like a light bulb as her mind kicked into overdrive.

"This is incredible! I had been reading about the possibility of other dimensions and times, alternate worlds, different planes of existance ful of unknown creatures and wonders beyond all of comrehension!" She took a big gasp to catch her breath, continuing, "So maybe we somehow got teleported here! But who would bring us here...?" She stopped, going through a mental list of enemies, which Dash voiced. "Let's see...Nightmare Moon, Trixie, Discord, the Changelings, and, oh, just about every other foe we've faced, plus anything else in the Everfree forest-no, in Equestria-that wants to bring Disharmony to us and everypony in the world!"

"Sounds like you all have had quite an adventurous life." Roy commented, then got an idea. "How about we exchange some intel about our...eh, worlds...And about how you got here, too." Twilight nodded in agreement, "Good call. But, well, we're not too sure how we got here...we woke up in a cell...but none of us remember what happened before..."

Dash jumped in with her part of the story, too. "Yeah, except that horrible, shocking feeling we all had. Remember that?" Mustang perked up at that. "Shocking? Like, electrical, maybe some kind of limb-from-limb ripping sensation?" With an eager nod from the rainbow mare, the man pressed further. "Tell me everything." And so, Rainbow recalled their tale...

~/~

The jolts of electricity shooting through her were of indescribable pain. She hadn't felt this much strain on her since that time Derpy had accidently shocked her with a nimbostratus cloud, or when Pinkie decided to test her new Super-MEGA-spledifer-whatever joy buzzer. This felt like every shred of fur, flesh, and fiber was being stripped off at once. It was unbearable, but she only had to put up with it for a few seconds before she lost all consciousness.

"Rainbowdaaaash! Hey! Wake up, silly-filly!" A squeaky voice belonging to only one pink prankster brought Dash back to her senses. The silhouettes of her other friends were fuzzy, but she recognized them all there.

Pinkie, despite the circumstances, was bouncing around and examining anything. Rarity was, of course, tending to her slightly frazzled mane. Over in the corner, Fluttershy was curled up in hiding from some invisible force of terror. Trying to kick the walls of their cell down was AJ, muttering and wondering where the buck they were. Twilight appeared to have the same question as she paced, then she turned to see Rainbow was awake.

She helped the cyan pegasus to her hooves. "Oh, good. So, we're all up, then?" She glanced around to address her friends, who were now looking eagerly to the smarter of the six for an answer. "Any idea what's goin' on here, Twi?" Applejack trotted up, followed by the others.

"I'm not too sure...but...well, does anypony remember what happened before we got here?" Twilight looked arond, waiting for an answer. Dash spoke up first, "I remeber there was this shocking feeling...and...Idunno...next thing I woke up to was Pinkie." She gestured to the pony trying to scale the brick wall.

Hearing her name, the party pony jumped in. "Oh, oh, oh! I remember something like that, too! It was all like buzzzzy, but not in the joy buzzy kinda way or a sugar rush, more like the ouchy kind! And I was all, 'aaaahhh!' "She flailed around randomly to emphasize her painful experience. "Then I leapt up, but I hit my head on the ceiling, and thought, 'why is there a ceiling? I was just outside!' Although, now that I think about it, I don't know where I was exactly, so maybe I was inside and-" Her eyes went wide. "I'm dreaming! That explains it all!"

Twilight caught the hyperactive mare by her tail, stopping her from trying to wake herself up by slamming into the wall. "Whoa, whoa...alright, so is this...'buzzy' sensation true for everypony?" They all nodded, to which Twiilight smiled. "Great! So we know that there's a connection here. Maybe we can ask somepony if-" She was cut off by the sound of somepony approching them.

"Yes, they're right down here. They really, talk, too! Oh, man, these new ones are a huge breakthrough, I promise!" An enthusiastic male voice piped up, added on by a companion with a gruffer tone. "Well, we'll see about that. If you're right, though, this could be what we've been looking for all these years...this could be the coupe de grace of all our transmutations..."

The ponies reached the cell doors, only they were definitely not ponies. They were much taller, probably about the height of the princesses, but they probably only looked that way because they stood on their hind legs. The first one leaned down to the cell door, keys in...well, not hooves, more like some odd appendages, the likes nopony had ever seen.

"And they're not, uh..dangerous, are they?" The heftier male asked as the assistant opened the door. "Don't worry, they should still be sedated. Why, when I was talking to them earlier, it seemed they had no clue what was even going on. So it's fine; come on in."

The man stepped in warily into the cell, looking at the fillies. "Hmm...well, a couple of these look...normal." He pointed to the two earth ponies. The assistant corrected him, "Although they seem to have no obviously abnormal traits or mutations, they are still capable of speech." The man waved his colleague off, changing his direction to the rainbow-maned pegasus.

He bent down so he was eye-level with the mare. "Lovely, isn't she?" He reached his hand around to one of the wings. "Oh, so perfect! So, do these wings really fl-" The moment his finger touched the feathers, he got a front hoof to the face. He backed up, scolding his subordinate. "You said they weren't dangerous! That one just hit me!"

Rainbowdash smirked, then gave a glance at the others. "I know you had another plan in mind, Twilight, but I think just rushin' outta here works better!" She galloped forward, unfurling her wings and zipping out into a hallway. "Wait, Dash," Twilight hollered, "Maybe we can just ask them to-"

"Lookie here, sugarcube, ah want answers as much as the next pony," AJ interjected, getting ready to charge, "But ah'm with RD on this 'un. Let's skedaddle!" She darted out, pushing past the two creatures and causing them to fall. Following up, Pinkie bounced past, hopping on the two on her way out. Rarity gracefully leapt over as well, then Fluttershy, who apologized for all the trouble.

Twilight sighed, using her magic to levitate the half-conscious beings into the cell and shut the door. "So much for just asking somepony..."

She caught up woth her friends, who were facing a large, center room with some odd symbol on the ground. They scanned for an exit, but the language was unrecognizable, far from their standard Equestrian. Pinkie began twitching, then shouted, "Oh, ooooh, run! Quick, everypony! Another one of those..thingies, they're coming! Run! Uh, th-that way!" She pointed a shaky hoof in the leftmost door. They all followed, not about to doubt the Pinkie Sense, and busted through the double doors.

~/~

"Then, after we broke out, we came face-to-face with one of those freaky-deaky manticore-looking thingies! Uh, I think you called 'em...chimeras...?" Mustang nodded, sastified with the story. "I wonder...I wonder if that lab..." He dragged his sentence into his thoughts, saving it for later. "Well, in any case, I don't hink I can keep you here in Central HQ. I'll have to make arrangements to keep you with someone else...someone..."

Dash huffed, "Will you quit going off and ending your sentences all...weird and stuff...?" She mocked his speech, then Twilght added on, more gently, "Ah, yes, where are going with this?Do you know somepony-I mean, eh-someone who we can stay with?"

"Yes. Ladies," Mustang stood, addressing them with a thoughtful grin, "It looks like it's time for you to meet a friend of mine...The Fullmetal Alchemist."


	2. Chapter 2

Al's armored form clunked behind his older brother, heading back to their temporary home in Central. Mustang had only briefed them, explaining that they needed to stay a few extra days for some special mission, and so had gotten them a suite at one of the hotels commonly used for such special guests or military. "Whaddya think the colonel wants this time, Ed?" Yawning, the state alchemist merely shrugged in response. "Yeah, it's a mystery with him...Anyways, I found this new recipe that I wanted to try making for you, so I can serve our guests that, too!"

"Good thinking, Al," his brother praised, "After all, Mustang made these guys sound pretty important, so we'll hafta make sure everything goes well. No problemo!" He grinned as they stepped through the double doors, taking the stairway up to their room. "I wonder who they could be..."

~/~

"Alright, into positions!" The mare in charge gathered her team, extra-triple checking that every last detail was in order. Nopony knew where'd she'd gotten all the stuff to do this-probably the same other-worldly vortex she produced party canons from and popped out of apple baskets with-but they had to hand it to the girl. "Now, we wait..." she grinned super wide, not unlike a Tasmanian devil on the hunt, and whispered, "...Lights out..."

~/~

Edward reached into his pocket, digging around for the keys. Al chuckled behind him and opened up his armor, handing them to the frustrated boy. "I-I knew you had 'em...heh..." He smiled sheepishly, then placed them in the lock, turning the tumblers within that granted them access. "He-" Before he could even get a word out, he was up in Al's metal arms, jaw dropped and a high squeak emitting from him.

"Surprise!" A bouncing pink mini-horse leapt up right in front of him, causing said girlish shriek and flail back to overcome him. "Wh-whahzaa...f-f-f-f...izzahh...p-p-poneh?!" He sputtered incomprehensively, still clinging to his younger brother, who also had a look of shock on his helmet.

Al regained his cool first, rephasing the question his sibling had failed to word. "U-um, I'm sorry, but...what are you?"

"We're throwing a party! Duh!" The cheery mare replied, bouncing around more. "We've got party hats, and party punch, party pastries! Oh, my! Not to mention all the balloons! I always carry balloons for these kinda emergencies. There's red, blue, green, purple, yellow, yellow-green with a bit more of a greenish-yellow tint for shading, sky blue with forest green to make a sea-colored forest color, dark red with a hint of rose pink and a bit of Tickle Me Magenta-which really should be called something else, but that'd be copyright-and..." She paused to take a breath, giving another earthly pony a chance to put a hoof in her mouth.

A lavender coated one, this with a horn adorning her head, stepped forward next. "I'm sorry about that, but she can kinda go off sometimes when she gets caught up in the fun. Allow me to make introductions first." She named off each pony, pointing to them respectively and ending with herself. "Oh, by the way, the colonel wanted me to give you this." She levitated over a letter, which Ed cautiously removed from the ominous purle aura around it that enveloped her hron as well. "He said it'd explain everything."

Ed opened it up, reading aloud so Al could get the intel as well. "Fullmetal, I have entrusted the care of these six to you for the time being. I'm sure you can handle something as small as this..." Ed winced at what he was sure was a pick at his height, but moved on. "I don't believe them to be chimeras; rather, they are from another world of sorts. Do me this little favor," Ed once again controlled his temper at the word, "And I'll be sure to make it up to you. Besides, their tale of arriving here may be of some interest to you. Sincerely, Colonel Roy Mustang."

His eyes fell down a post-script at the bottom. "P.S I have also prepared a folder with all they have told me about their world." As he read, Twilight handed the aforementioned papers. "I would like you to inform them about some of ours as well, going into more detail than I briefed them on. Good luck, Shortstack." Ed growled at the final straw of insults, crumpling up the paper and tossing it across the room.

"Stupid colonel...when he said it was a special mission, I wasnt expecting THIS. What is he even thinking?! Can't he do this all himself?! He's the colonel, dammit, not me!" Al tried to keep his brother from saying something he'd regret, but the boy's anger was rising now, from both the sudden turn of events and all the short jokes sprinkled on top. "I swear I'll get him for all this...He knows we have a bunch of stuff to get done. We were plannin' on heading out to Dublith!(And Winry was so looking forward to checking out Rush Valley). GAHH! I mean, he just up and saddled me with a bunch of talking ponies!" He gestured to the six, all of whom now gave him an apologetic look. Ed immediatly took it back. "Sorry...I just..."

"Lookie, sugar," the cowgirl pony stepped up, "Ah know this is sudden for ya, but we'll be sure t' help ya out in return. Give a li'l, get a li'l, right?"

The blue pegasus jumped in as well, adding, "Yeah! Like that thing the colonel said...Equivalent exchange? Yeah, like that! We can pull our share of the weight."

Sighing, the fullmetal simply agreed. "Equivalent exchange...Perfect." He turned to his brother, switching right over to his next favorite subject. "So, Al, you said you had a new recipe to try out?" The younger nodded, then seemed to blush. "What's wrong?"

"W-well...I don't really think that they'd like it." Ed gave him ablank look, as did the others. He rubbed the back of his helmet, mentally sweat-dropping at his brother's ignorance. "I mean...ponies are herbivores, right? So, they don't eat...u-um..."

Pinkie hopped in, trying to encourage him. "I'm sure that wahtever it is, it'll be super-delecti-deliciously amazing! We can eat the cake I made afterwords, too!" She ran her tongue over her face, drooling like dog. "C'mon! Let's get cookin'!" Al shied down even more, not sure how to phrase it.

The first to catch on was Fluttershy, voicing his fears rather softly yet truly. "I get it. I have to take care of lots of animals, and some of them have to eat meat, too. Like the majestic hawks, and the wriggly little snakes, and the fluffy-wuffy kitties-"

"Yeah, yeah, cute, carnivorous animals. I knew that, too." Dash interrupted, waving a hoof around to dismiss the quieter one's comments. "I mean, Gilda had to eat meat too, being a griffin and all, so I know how it goes."

Al wiped off an invisible bead of sweat. "Alright. Well, I can make something else, then. That okay with you, brother?" Ed nodded. "Great! Let's see...I could make a stew. Do you all like stew?" They cheered, much more energetic than most people he knew, and headed triumphantly for the kitchen.

"You all go ahead, then," Ed made instead for his bedroom, folder full of facts about Equestria in hand. "I've gotta get to studying this. Call me in when it's ready, 'kay?" He got a confirmation from his brother, then went in to soak up all he could about the strange, mystical, magical, and overly-optimistic creatures he'd been given responsibility over.

~/~

"EEDD!" the voice finally reached the blonde about half an hour later. He peeled his eyes from the documents, feeling as though he'd just sat through one of Hughes' mushy stories about his 'wittle girl's' tea parties. It was full of some action, like lion-ish creatures, draconic beasts, and other oddities, but it seemed that these ponies had it far easier. If Ed could cleanse souls corrupted by some nightmareish force or turn a draconequus to stone or defeat a colony of love-eating shapeshifters using only friendship, then he'd have gotten his limbs and Al's body back a while ago. He wasn't sure how he was going to do it, but he'd now have to tell those six the horrors of his own world, despite their lack of wars and bloodshed in Equestria.

He entered the kitchen, seeing it sparkling clean, with a few bowls at the dining table, some more in the living room on the coffee table instead. "So," Twilight stepped up, "Did you finish the files?" Ed nodded, to which she continued, "Great! So, how about you go over some more about Amestris over dinner?" He hesitated, then sighed, "Yeah, I guess you're gonna find out sooner or later, anyways..." The purple unicorn tilted her ehad at the ominous statement, but decided she'd just let him explain.

"Here, Ed!" Al handed his brother a bowl, awaiting the boy's comment on how well he did. "They helped me out a lot, too. Pinkie's great at cooking, and Fluttershy's not so bad, either. And Rarity and Twilight really cleaned up the place, huh? Not to mention Dash and AJ's help with the rest."

Ed took a spoonful, prompting the other ponies to start on their meals as well. "It's great, huh?" Dash said rather proudly,"I helped with all the spices!" Al nodded, although he had opted to leave out the pegasus' suggestions of Tabasco sauce and crushed peppers that were meant to be for an extra 'buck' as AJ put it. "Hey, Al, why don't ya take off that suit and try some yourself?"

The two brothers shared a look, letting a silence pass. "Like I said, they'd find out sooner or later." He set his bowl down and took a chair in front of them. "I think it's time you knew a bit more about Amestris...alchemy...and us..."

~/~

By the end of the tale, Al had taken his head off, Ed had showed his automail as proof, and the six ponies were in tears. Ed had tried to sugarcoat the story, but ended up revealing all in the most gruesome detail. Fluttershy had gone under the couch, shaking. Twilight was drying her tears with magic, looking away. AJ had her sorrow hidden under hat. Rarity was letting out dramatic gasps at each part, now sprawled over the couch in a faint. Pinkie's hair had lost bounce, and she was letting her tears go out in anime style, waterfalling and soaking the carpet around her.

Sitting by the window, expression hidden by her mane, Dash was even letting out a few tears, despite her macho shell. "Is this...what this place is like?" Ed nodded. "You said this world had wars, too. But I'm guessing it's not like a battle for keeping harmony, huh?" The achemist confirmed again. "Y'know, Ed...I've seen some pretty scary stuff in my life...but nothing like that. I don't think anypony has. I...I just wanna..." She sniffled back, refusing to let the emotion overwhelm her. "I mean...we gotta get back to Ponyville. We can't stay here. It's not right."

"I agree." Ed stood, getting the ponies to squelch some of their tears and look at him. "And I'll do what I can to help you. Mustang is too, I'm sure of it." He took a peek out the window, seeing the moon almost at its peak. "I think it's time for bed, every, eh, pony. C'mon, we've got an extra room, if you don't mind sharing the bed. It's kinda big, anyways." The room had been for Al, but the armor was incapable of sleep, so he didn't mind donating it to their guests. Ed opted to leave the white drama unicorn on the couch, and, unable to get Fluttershy out, decided she could come out and take the reclining chair when she was ready.

Dash stayed at the window, staring out at the empty streets, watching the moon go up on its own rather than by some alicorn's power. "I'll be right there," she whispered when Ed confroted her. The boy didn't bother changing her mind, instead heading to his room. Al followed so he could go over the folder as well, leaving the cyan pegasus alone to her thoughts.

"I have to get us back..." she muttered to herself, "I have to."

~/~

"AAAAHHHH!" The same 'surprise' from earler came jumping frantically on top of Ed, her hooves proving to be very effective weapons on his chest. "Wake up NOW! Wake up, up ,up, up, UP!" She bgan crowing like a rooster, ceasing when Ed finally found the strength to shove her off.

Clutching where shed left hoofprints on him, he groaned. "What...do you want...now?" Pinkie leapt up, for once without a word, and zipped into the living room. He followed her groggily, seeing the assembled ponies. "Well? What is it?"

Twilight was about to answer, but paused. "Um...I know ponies don't typically wear clothing due to out fur coats...but humans do, right?"

"What?" Ed suddenly felt a draft from the window, then looked down to find he was in just his boxers. "Gah?! Uh, g-gimme a moment..." He zipped in an out in a minute, pulling a shirt over to go with his usual black pants. "Ah, you were saying?"

"DASHIE'S GONE!" Pinkie exclaimed. Ed certainly see the pegasus present.

His head turned to where they were specifically gathered. The window was wide open, a breeze flowing right through. "No..." he gritted his teeth, realizing there was now a flying, talking pony on the loose, clenching his fists, "...Dammit!"


	3. Chapter 3

Clouds whizzed past her as she searched for any signs, clues, anything. She was getting worried, as they'd been gone for a solid two days now. Nopony knew where they could be. They were lost, most definitely, and everypony in Equestria was worried sick, especially her...

"We are sorry sister," Luna appeared next to her, stopping her midflight, "We have searched high and low, but there is still no sight of Twilight Sparkle or her friends."

Celestia sighed, wondering where her faithful student could have disappeared to. "I know you're trying your best. It's just...I haven't been able to get any contact with them at all. They're far from my gaze, out there somewhere." She scanned her land, her little ponies whom she was meant to watch over and protect, no matter what. She'd lost them. She'd failed them. "I believe they must be in the everfree forest, for that is one domain I do not reign over. I..." She set her gaze on the mysterious land, determination coursing through her, "I'm going to search there."

The younger of the two alicorns stood in her path, concern clearly covering her crystal blue eyes. "Sister, you mustn't! We know of the terrors that dwell within that place. Who knows what is there, what creatures even you do not control? We strongly advise against this!"

"That's why I have to go, Luna." The sun princess smiled, assuaging all her sister's fears. "Besides, I am Celestia, Ruler of Equestria, all-powerful controller of the sun. Surely I can handle rescuing my little ones, right?" She patted her sibling on the head, then set off towards the Everfree Forest.

~/~

"Whaddya mean they 'got away', huh?" He stood over the scared-stiff scientist, hands on his hips. The employee could only stutter, rubbing the back of his head where a hoofprint was. Growling in frustration, the homunculus raised a hand to strike the worthless human.

The voice of his comrade stopped his assault, flowing with a smooth yet sinister tone. "Now, Envy, no need to get so upset. Perhaps the good doctor here could make us a few more?" She smiled at the man, who was eagerly nodding her way. "Perfect. Then get to it."

The alchemist's glee faded as he felt more beads of sweat roll down his forehead. "Ah, w-well, Miss Lust, it's not as simple as earlier...that was a mere accident. In order to find out how we got those chimeras, we'd need to know where the originated from." Lust looked unamused at the negtive results coming from this man's theory. "S-So we'd need to de-construct and send back something by tracking them...It involves using a bit of their DNA, as well as getting a 'raw material' to link to."

Looking at the cell where the equine chimeras had once been, Lust spotted a tuft of multi-colored fur. Turning to her partner, she asked much like a magician picking a volunteer. "Would you like to go, Envy?" The long-haired homunculus smirked delightedly, "You read my mind."

Lust tossed the scrap of mane to the scientist. "Come on then. I have a very thin patience, you know." Fumbling around, the alchemist cleared a large spot and sketched out a transmutation circle. "Good work." Lust praised wryly, then motioned for Envy to step in the center. The scientist then placed the fur at the top point. Clapping his hands together, he transmuted the homunuclus. "Now," Lust smiled, "Transmute another one of those chimeras."

~/~

Dash banked over a cirrus, trying to find her way back to the lab they had first come from. "It couldn't be that far...Horseapples! Where is it?!" She swooped through another grouping of clouds, instinctivly clearing them on her way. She stopped, trying to get her bearings. She didn't recognize a single thing, and the sun was already overhead. "Great, I have no idea how to get back..." she sighed, "I bet they're all worried sick about me, too."

Landing on a near roof, she folded her wings in tight, remembering what she had gotten her friends into. "This is my fault...I didn't mean to..." She wiped away a tear that was out of line in her mind, stomping it off her hoof frustratedly. "I need t-"

She heard a high voice below, followed by a luagh similar to a filly playing hide-and-seek. "It went this way, Daddy! I saw it! I pwomise!" Another set of hooffalls-or rather, footfalls, by these creatures' standards-came running after. Dash peeked over the edge to see an alley with a young girl, pointing right up at her.

"Well, what do you know? It's you again." Dash's heart skipped a beat at the familiar man's face, his glasses hiding his eyes. "I thought Mustang had ya locked up? Did you escape?" The girl tugged at his pant leg, demanding for him to acknowledge that she was right. He picked her up and petted her soft hair.

Dash leapt down to the man, knowing she could just fly away and that he couldn't hurt her without one of those weapons. "I didn't escape...well, okya I did, but not from that Mustang guy. I just flew out for a bit, stretching my wings, y'know?"

"If you're not with Roy, then..." he adjusted his glasses, "Where have you been?"

"Actually..." the pony scratched the back of her head with a hoof, a feat that the lieutenant couldn't fathom, "Me and my friends have been staying with this other guy..."

~/~

"EDWARD'S BEEN KEEPING COLORFUL MAGIC PONIES IN HIS ROOM AND HE DIDN'T TELL ME?!" The blonde girl's outburst sent the pegasus literally flying out of her seat in surprise. "The nerve of that shrimp...I'm charging him double next time he needs his automail fixed!" She sighed, putting the pieces together. "So this is why he had to delay the depature to Rush Valley...well, I guess the famed haven of mechanics isn't going anywhere..."

Once Hughes had heard that the chimeras were staying with Fullmetal, he immediately invited the pegasus to come to his house to rest. She had been flying all night and was grateful for the hospitlity, but she immediately was ready to take off after seeing the reaction she got from telling Ed's friend her situation.

"Daddy, can we keep the pony?" The little one from before was stroking Dash's mane, admiring its vibrant colors. She ran her fingers through the feathers of the wings, eyes sparkling. "Pweeeease, Daddy?" The man melted at her daughter's request, giving in. "Of course you can~! Anything for you, my little angel!"

Dash chuckled, hoping it was a joke, then settled back into the chair to address the mechanic. "So, Winry, you and Ed are close, I take it?" She nodded. "Well, I guess it's lucky I ran into you, because...I kinda need to find my way back to him."

"What were you doing out there, anyways?" Hughes interrupted, to which the pony lowered her head in embarassment. "I was...trying to find that place we came from. But I don't really remember where it was...this place is much bigger than Ponyville, though, so I...I got lost."

"Don't worry!" Winry smiled assuringly at her, "I know where they're staying!I'll take you there. Although I wouldn't be surprised if they're out looking for you right now."

~/~

The ponies rushed for the door, ready to set out in immediate search for their friend. "Whoa, whoa! Hold up." Ed blocked the exit, arms crossed. "You can't go out like that! People will know you're not...well, normal." They gave him an odd look, then Twilight's horn lit up like a light bulb as an idea struck her.

"Lemme guess," Applejack was the first to see it, "Y'all got some spell just fer this sit-chee-ashun?" Twilight asnwered by increasing her magic's output. Soon, the earth pony was enveloped in the orchid aura. A blinding light went off, similar to alchemy from Edward's point of view, and she was trasnformed into something nopony would've ever thought to have seen.

She looked much like herself color-wise, but was taller now, standing on her hind legs. Her mane wasn't in pigtails, but was still a very creamy blonde, topped with her cowboy hat. "What the hay did ya do t' me, Twilight?!"

"Relax, Applejack. I just made you look more like the dominant species of this world. Now you'll fit in!" Twilight beamed, clearly happy with her work, but AJ simply snorted in protest. "So, who's next? I figure I can send out just one more while the rest hang back." The rest of them started babbling excuses, to which she sighed. "Fine, I'll go myself, then."

With another flash bang, the unicorn appeared with a shape similar to AJ. All her clothes matched her own color scheme, with her mane of hair highlited as usual. "Great! My spell was flawless." She scanned over her new body, raising an eyebrow. "Hmm...this'll take some getting used to. Hey, Ed?"

The alchemist, who was still slack-jawed at the amazing sight that could never be done by any transmutations, snapped out of his stupor and mumbled some acknowledgement. "Do all humans have these, or is it just the females of your species?" She pointed to the top of her new body, namely a portion that had Ed's blood rushing to cheeks. Seeing it, she also blushed. "Sorry for asking, but I'm just not familiar with the anatomy of your kind."

"I-It's fine," Al stuttered as well, a sweatdrop trickling down his helmet despite being a suit of armor. "Uhmm...y-yeah, it's just the girls..." He answered for his brother, who was now ready to go out the door. Twilight gestured for AJ to follow, completely forgetting the awkward moment she'd made. The others thought best to put it aside as well, setting out in search of Rainbow Dash.

~/~

"Shit...the hell am I?" Envy stood, brushing off dirt and debris. He looked around, seeing a dark expanse of trees that blocked out any light, the cries of animals echoing throught as a breeze swept by. "Ah, well. Doesn't seem so bad. Peaceful, actually. Now, to find one of those chimeras." He strode off in a random direction, going by instinct.

A stark white horse, full-sized, landed before silently thanked whatever invisible force had intervened for making this easy. "Who are you?" She spoke with the radiance of the sun itself, folding her wings in as she examined the new being. "What are you...eh, doing in the Everfree Forest, I mean? It's quite dangerous out-"

Her omen was answered by the roar of a manticore, leaping out from the foilage. "Stand back! I sahll deal with monster." She placed herself betweent the two, ready to fight the beast. Instead of lettting her handle it, however, Envy simply walked right up to it with not a hint of hesitation.

"You mean this little thing?" He pointed a thumb at it. The creature opened its maw, ready to chomp the guy's hand off. Envy let out a gutteral growl, clenching his hand to a fist. The monster whimpered and shrunk down, much to the amazement of the alicorn. "Stupid chimeras. So anyways...I'm Envy. You?"

Recovering at the sight of something that could terrify a manticore, the princess answered, "I am Celestia, princess of Equestria." She wasn't sure how somepony couldn't know who she was, but then again this was a creature even she did not know of. "It is a, eh, pleasure to meet you...Envy..." She found the name sinister, but she was not one to judge, despite growing suspicions. "I ask again, what business do you have here?"

The being called Envy smirked, causing Celestia to put her guard back up. "What am I doing here? Well," he surveyed the chimera, deciding he scored the jackpot with this one, "I'm here to take you back to my place, honey." She admitte the line fit Lust more, but nonetheless was sastified with the fighting look the alicorn gave her. "This is perfect! I didn't get to out my anger on that scientist earlier, so it looks like I get to here instead. Although I can't damage ya too bad, otherwise Lust'll get onto me."

Ignoring all the names she'd never heard and the reasoning behind this intruder's aggression, the princess focused on the coming battle and lit up her horn, encasing herself in a veil of light. The enemy rushed at her with incredible speed, going straight for her source of power, her horn.

A similar chimera, dark as the night sky, came barrelling down on him. They tumbled through the grass until she pinned him, hooves holding his shoulders. "We shall not let ye harm our sister, cretin! Prepare to face the wrath of thy ruler of the moon, Luna!" Her horn alighted as well, a dark shadow enveloping the invader.

"Get yer hooves offa me, you damn horse!" Envy tried to shove the alicorn off, but was levitated up by some mysterious force. "Hey! Whaddya think you're doing?! I'll kill you!" He shouted, trying to wiggle out of the miasmic restraints. "You bitch horse! Put me-"

He was immediately shoved against the ground, getting a mouthful of dirt. "That is enough out of you, beast!" Luna's voiced boomed, "Explain thyself, lest the punishment shall be doubled!"

Celestia trotted over, taking the prisoner out of her sister's magical grip. "Thank you, Luna. I'll deal with him, now." She pulled the creature up to let him talk. "What did you mean by taking me back?"

An electrical blue zapped around the white aura, pushing it back. "Heh. Looks like it's time to go." The sparks broke through the magical bindings, letting Envy drop to the ground as more of transmutation spread across his body. He reached out a hand, aiming some of the alchemy to take the sun princess back.

~/~

Winry led the pegasus through the alleys, careful not to be seen. She wouldn't know how to explain a talking pegasus to the average citizen, thus choosing to avoid that. "Okay, it shouldn't be too far..." She peeked around the corner, getting a questioning look from a few people, but was luckily left alone by them. "C'mon, quick! We gotta get to that next corner."

The pony was over there before she was, a smug look on her muzzle. "Ha! 'Quick' is my middle name...well, it's not, but 'Dash' is my last!" Winry chuckled and lead her to the inn's back gate. "Alright, so you wana just fly on up to the window...Oh, and tell Ed I said 'hi', too!" She waved the pony goodbye and watched her soar up.

~/~

Ed scoured the streets, his two new companions looking with awe at the city. "This place is as big as Canterlot! I wonder where she could've gone?" Twilight pondereed as her eyes swept over the people walking along the streets, the shops full of energy, the clamor of the crowds.

Applejack, who was just as excited, asked, "Ya reckon she headed back already?" Twilight thought it over. "Maybe...But I think we should keep looking. Besides, I think I'm getting an idea about where she went."

"Really? Where?" Ed replied, eager to stop the sightseeing and get to searching. "Probably the lab," Twilight answered, "The one where we first woke up in. I haven't the foggiest where it is, though, and I'm sure Rainbow doesn't, either."

Thinking it over, Ed first considered asking the colonel. After all, he was the one who found them and dropped them off at his place. The thought of Mustang just placing all the problems on him had his temper rising, but he decided they should go ask, nonetheless.

"Let's check with Colonel again, then," he voiced his solution, "He may know where it is. Although...it might..." He mulled it over, then dismissed it as impossoble. "Nah, that lab collapsed in a pile of rubble...Anyways, let's get over to HQ."

~/~

"No!" A flash of purple darted between them, blocking the connection. "You can't take the princess like you did the others!"

Both alicorns gasped at the amethyst dragon between them. "Spike? What in Equestria are you doing here?"

"I was out looking for anything to help me figure out where Twilight went. I figured the Everfree Forest would be the best place to check, and Zecora said she saw Rainbow Dash go in before they all disappeared, so I thought I'd go search. I didn't expect this, though." Both of them admired how brave he could be in certain situations, raised so well by both Twilight and his own dragon instincts. "So, who's this guy?"

The guy answered for himself, already starting to deconstruct. "I'm Envy, alright?! Now get outta the way! They need one of those chimeras, not you!" He kicked Spike to the side, then facing his prime target once more. "C'mon, Celestia, time's a-wasting."

Luna once more grasped Envy with her magic, her darker powers grappling with the transmutation. "We cannot hold it off for long, sister!" She warned Celestia, who got the plan and flew up, wings expanding with a pure light. She would out a stop to this evil before it started, using the same technique she had on Discord. Despite that she did not weild the elemtes, she still had all the powers of the sun to aid her.

"It's too late for you to play your hand princess," Envy boasted, the lightning of alchemy shooting off. Luna strained to keep it from escaping, pushing with all her power. Spike stood behind her, hoping they would be able to pull it off.

A sudden emmission of an insidious aubergine replaced the transmutation sparks. "N-No..." Envy got a look of terror and anger, screaming, "No! S-Stop!" He could feel the heat of the deconstruction taking its toll. "Gah! Not this! Not a rebound! Lust! Help me, dammit! Stop the transmutation! STOP IT!"

Luna used what she could to contain, but it pulsed through her blood, tearing into her stream of magic. She was tossed back, landing on top of Spike. Celestia's spell went off, shooting towards Envy in a blink. The last he saw was that light, then nothing but empty darkness.

~/~

"My my, Envy..." Lust stood with a shocked look at the figure before her, far from what she expected to get back. "Looks like you're in trouble."

Gluttony waddled up beside her, tilting his head at the strange figure. "Can I eat it?" His usal request was denied, making him sink in disappointment.

Lust turned to the alchemist, a look of disapproval on her face. "Seems you messed up here, doctor." The man's eyes looked they were about ready to pop out of his skull. He pleade he just didn't know what wrong, but the homunculus ignored him. "Gluttony," she turned to her chubby companion, "You cannot eat them, but him, however..." She smirked at the fear on his face. "Him you can devour thoroughly."

His grin spreading almost cartoon-like, Gluttony snatched the man before he could flee. Running a large tongue that his ouroborus tattoo was on, he opened his jaw wide.

"Wh-what...?" One of the creatures looked on in horror as the scientist was ripped by the homonculus' boulder-like teeth. Blood spattered the floor in front of it, causing it to pass out.

Lust chuckled as her fellow gulped down another limb, delighted anyways by the results. "Hmm... y'know, doctor..." she spoke to the corpse, already half-gone, "Perhaps this will do after all. Good work."


	4. Chapter 4

Roy sat at his desk, flipping through file after file on what he could gather about any nearby secret labs. Apparently the run-down Fifth Labratory had collapsed not too long ago, leaving the colonel suspicious as to the timing. As he scanned over what seemed like hundreth page, there was a knock at the door. "Sir," came a suspiciously low voice, one of his subordinates most likely, "It seems that the very badass and totally normal-sized(if not, impressively tall) Edward Elric is here to see you." There was another sound like metal hitting flesh, followed by an add-on. "Ow. Oh, uh, a-and his younger brother Alphonse, too."

Chuckling, Mustang called back, "Come on in, Fullmetal." The door opened to the two brothers, along with a couple of new, yet familiar, faces. "How're the guests doing?" He eyed the young alchemist's company, "And who are they?"

Ed answered both questions in one reply, gesturing to his two companions. "Why don't you ask them yourself, colonel?" The girls waved happily, a bit nervous at seeing the frightnening flame alchemist once more.

"Well, seems that unicorn magic of yours is quite a feat, Miss Twilight." Roy stood to shake hands with the humanized pony. "And this other one is...Applejack, right?" The cowgirl nodded, tipping her hat. "Where are the others? Decided to stay back at the inn?"

"Yeah," Ed replied, rubbing the back of his neck, "Well, excpet for Dash...she kinda...flew off..." He awaited the lecturing, or maybe some sarcastic aid. Instead the colonel ignited a fire with a snap, a smirk playing dangerously at his lips. "You lost one, Fullmetal?" Ed gulped, holding up his hands defensively. "Well, I'd say you better find her before I barbecue you, shrimp." The blonde's fuse was lit once more, ready to blow at being mocked in person, his har antenna twitching.

"That's what we came to you about, actually." Twilight got in between them, using her hands as barriers. She still wasn't used having them instead of hooves, but found them to be effective in this situation. The two cooled down, letting the girl speak. "Mr. Colonel, we were wondering if you knew where the lab that we escaped from was. I think Rainbow Dash might've flown back there to search for clues. She seemed pretty upset about it last night."

Mustang went over to his paperwork, pulling out the stakck he'd found most useful. "I've actually been looking into that, as has Hughes," he said, handing the files and a map to Ed, "I believe there are a few places where it could've been, based on these few facts. Y'know, you got good timing. I can't go out there due to my responsibilities here(plus a date tonight), so you can go check it out for me." Edward looked ready to refuse, but the colonel gave him a withering glare. "That's an order, Elric."

Mock saluting his superior, Ed turned with his group to exit. Mustang grabbed the boy by his prosthetic arm, whispering to im. "You haven't thought about asking them, have you?" The blonde knew exactly where the colonel was going. "I have, but...I don't know if they can. I mean, it might work with my arm and leg, but Al..." he glanced at the suit of armor containing his brother's very soul. "I don't know if they could restore Al. I don't wanna do it without him." Mustang smiled, letting him go. "Understood, Fullmetal."

~/~

Pinkie rushed up to embrace Rainbow Dash in an ursa minor hug, babbling about how worried they all were. "Gack! A-Alright, Pinkie..." she slipped free of the party pony's grasp, gasping, "I get it! I won't run off again. Sorry, everypony." She glanced around the room, seeing the forgiving look on Rarity's face and Fluttershy's caring smile, but the others weren't there. "Wait, where is everypony?"

"Why, they're out scouring the city for you, of course! They even to the trouble of disguising themselves then left with our hosts." Rarity replied.

"Well, I guess we better go find 'em before-" Before Dash could finish the sentence, Rarity held up a hoof to stop her. "No, no! Absolutely not! We're not running off. Otherwise we'd end up in some crazy cycle and we'll never find them. It'd be far too much trouble."

Pinkie randomly jumped in with her own point. "But if we didn't do that, then there'd be no plot! I mean there wouldn't even be a point to this scene! C'mon something's gotta happen here!" As usual, everypony else simply summed up her rambling to Pinkie just being Pinkie. Rarity ahemed and went on. "Where did you think you were going in the first place, dear? And what were you going to do without us?"

Sighing, Dash once again explained she was going back to the lab. "I wasn't sure where it was, but I thought I could spot it from the skies. I got lost, but luckily I ran into a friend of Ed's and that guy who caught us earlier-Hughes, I think-and they showed me the way back. Again, I'm super sorry for making you all worried...I just had to find us a way to get back to Equestria...We really, really can't stay here."

"I know it's not out home, Dashie, but at least we have somewhere to stay! And honestly, what makes you the one who has to get us back? We'll all help, you know. You don't have to blame yourself for this." Dash looked down at her hooves, shuffling them nervously. "What is it, Rainbow?"

"It is my fault. I-I'm so sorry...I'm sorry..." Her voice cracked, and she gritted her teeth to keep herself from saying more. The secret was out though. She looked up to see the concerned eyes staring back at her. Pnkie was getting a bit excited, muttering that this was 'it'. "I just..." Dash sighed, facing the facts.

"I didn't mean to, I swear. But there was this...this light...It was coming from a ways off, over by these clouds. We weren't scheduled to have any rain, so I thought I'd go and fix them. But there was one that was glowing, farther away, a bit low over the trees. I got kinda curious and followed it...It went into the Everfree Forest. I knew I wasn't supposed to go, and pegasi don't control the weather there anyways, but I thought maybe I could get it. I don't know what happened but...There was this...thing...And I-" She saw how intently they were looking at her now, waiting for more. "Anyways, it's my fault, and I have to get us back. I have to fix this."

~/~

There was a blur in the center of his vision, like a sunspot, fuzzy and making his head spin. He tried to get to his feet, but wobbled and fell back onto his hands. He thought he could here a woman's voice. "L-Lust? Damn...what 'appened?" He called out, but his voice sounded much stranger. "What happened to us? Ugh...We can't see..." He caught himself, realizing he speaking oddly. "Er, I can't see..." He fixed himself, wondering what could havemade him want to speak like that.

Blots of red and green slowly came into focus, blending with the white and making the scene look like a snowy holiday eve. The bloth of light slowly started to look like a figure. "The Truth? Is this...the gate, then?" He looked around, everything seeming to go in slow otion by his vision.

"Eeeenvyyyy..." The voice came from the creature, sounding like multiple echoes. "Eeenvyyy...?" It sounded somewhat concerned, slowly coming back into focus. He tried to mumble something, swearing when he couldn't find the words. "Eenvyy!" It sounded angered now, and a brighter glow pulsed from atop its head. He started to think that maybe the Truth would try to take a toll from him for taking him back home.

"Shaddup!" He shouted back, only to be lifted off the ground. He shut hs eyes at the harsh light, opening them only at a final shout of his name.

Celestia stood before him, a burning mix of anger, fear, and worry tearing up in her eyes. "Envy! What did you do?! What happened?! Answer me!" She shook him around, making him nearly hurl. "Gah...S-Stop it..." he mumbled, to which she set him down to let him explain. "Ah...we don't know...a rebound..." He lifed a rather stiff hand to his head, brushing his hair back. "Are we...at the lab? L-Lust?" He opened his eys once more, a chill going over his spine. "Where...wait, are we still in the forest?!"

Sure enough, the alicorn and he were still sitting on the grassy soil. "Dammit! What the hell happened?!" He shouted to the sky, stomping his hoof on the ground.

He looked down, realizing there was something wrong with that. He screamed in surprise at the sight of a black hoof with holes in it like Swiss cheese. As he stood, he found a rather odd looking tail hanging off his rear, flicking irritably. The rest of his coat was just as dark, with insect-like wings on his back and a horn protruding from his head. Whirling on the princess, he exclaimed, "What the fuck did you do to us?!" He shook his head, unable to stop speaking so formally. "I mean, me! Gah!" He paced in frustration.

The princess stopped him mid-step, turning him to face her. "Listen, Envy. I'm not too sure what happened, but Luna and Spike are gone, and you are a Changeling. I believe it was a result of the 'rebound' you spoke of, Luna's power trying to hold you back, and the spell I used on you." Envy let this soak in, chalking it up to the same answer she had come to. "So that means..." he laughed, "Your two pals got transmuted back to Amestris. We wonder if Lust will find a way to get me back, though." He turned back to the alicorn, who was much taller than him now, at least by a couple feet. "So, what's a changeling? And how come we-ah, I-keep talking like that?"

"Changelings are very dangerous creatures," Celestia explained, feeling uneasy at the smile spreading on Envy's fanged mouth, "They have the ability to shape-shift and feed on the love of others. They and their queen, Chrysalis, were recently defeated by the Elements of Harmony. They also used the royal 'we' when addressing themselves, much like my sister Luna does, although they refer to themselves as a hive." She watched the slight interest on Envy, then asked a question of her own. "Where did you come from? And who is Lust?" She leaned in more seriously, "And, most importantly, where are my little ponies?"

Looking around, Envy figured he could probably just fly off, but wth a glare from the sun pincess, he changed his mind, knowing he couldn't escape. "Well, it's kind of a different world. We don't know all the specifics though, 'cause the kind of alchemy we've been using recently is new. Lust is kinda like our partner. She's been overlooking things mostly, and needs chimeras like you for some...certain plans. As for your buddies, well, they're in her hands now." He scanned over his new body, particularly glad about the shape-shifting part. It was a skill he could do before, and knowing he still could reassured him.

"Now, if you dont mind we'd rather look like ourself, not some dumb whatever-we-are now. And we'd rather stop talking so weird, too." He concentrated, drawing on his inner homunculus powers. He must've still had the Philosopher's stone in him, otherwise he wouldn't be alive. "Just give us a minute..." He poured all his force in, sensing a hot sensation here his horn was. It was glowing, as he noted, red much like the stone.

A breeze blew by as the silent attempt to change dragged out. Finally, he let out a breath, exhaustd. "We don't get it! How come we can't change back into a human?" Celestia stared at him oddly, then came to a conclusion. "There aren't any humans in this world. And I believe changelings can only change into things of this world." Envy stomped a hoof, the feeling of doing so still strange. "I'll take you back to the castle-which you'll need to shift into a pony to blend in- and perhaps you can sort things out there, but until then..." she shot him a look, her horn tinged with magic, "You are not to cause any disturbances. Understood?"

Envy's horn alighted once more with its scarlet aura. His body morphed into a similar form, but with no holey limbs, frayed tail, fangs, or wings, opting to keep just the horn. His ouroborus tattoo was moved to a mark his flank, which every pony here seemed to have. He nodded, then trotted after her to the castle.

~/~

Ed crossed off another site on the map, folding it back up, shoving it in his pocket, and tossing the marker behind him in defeat. "We'll never find this place!" He clawed at his hair, mumbling something unintelligible. "Besides, it's getting late...we should head back. Dash's probably already there, anyway."

Twilight took the map from him, flipping through the files once more. She wasn't able to read it, which had her feeling down, but she asked what she thought was important to be deciphered by Al. "What's this one?" She held up a small stapled stack with a transmutation circle drawn on it, along with a circular symbol of a dragon.

"Oh, that one's about..." Al skimmed it over, eyes somehow widening, "Umm..." He took it from her slowly, tapping his brother on the shoulder. "Hey, Ed, check this out. Isn't this that lab?" Curious, Ed took the page and flipped over it, a grimace forming on his features.

He scoffed and handed the papers back. "Yeah, it is. I think that's from the stack Hughes had contributed, too. He seemed like he was on to something when we last saw him." Al nodded his agreement. "You think we should...go back and see?" Twilight and Applejack both responded encourangingly, anything to help them get back and possibly find Dash. "Alright." He retrieved the map, unfurling it and searching for the location where the lab once stood. "Here it is. The Fifth Laboratory." He pointed to a spot one the map that looked like it had been circled, then erased.

Turning on his heels, Ed headed his own way. "Uh, brother?" Al's voice reached him, and the young alchemist turned with an embarrased look. "It's the other way, isn't it?" Al nodded, to which the blonde followed his brother, going the right way, to the Fifth Laboratory.

~/~

Blood was all over his clawed feet, spattered about the floor in front of his. "Good work," a voice said, followed by the sound of something being crunched in half. He opened hi eyes wider, djusting them to the dimly lit corridor. He attempted to stand but there was something on top of half of him. He looked over to see Princess Luna's unconscious form covering his left side. The munching sound repeated, catching his attention.

He screamed. That was all he could do. Some large beast was ripping another of its kind apart, devoring the bones and muscle in one bite. It struggled trying to pull off an arm, finally popping it free and tearing apart the ligaments. Its meal was already dead, headless, in fact. It was the most gruesome thing he'd ever seen in all of his life.

"Calm down, now," the same creamy sound came to him, the words flowing over him. He felt like he was talking to Rarity, nodding as he turned. The image of his love was replaced by another one of the beings. "Well, you're not Envy, but you are a little chimera. I suppose I can use you." The so-called chimera raised an eyebrow, correcting her, "A...what? N-no, I'm a dragon. My name's Spike."

She strode over to him, towering over him, actually. "Spike, hmm? A bit bold for such a little thing." She bent down, moving Luna off him and stroking his back, making him arch like a cat. "Why don't you come with me? Maybe you can clear some things up for me, dear." Spike hesitated and took a glance back, averting his eyes from the bloody mess and focusing on the princess. "Don't worry," the woman turned his gaze back to her, "Just come with me."

With no choice, lest she decide to feed him to that monster, Spike tentively followed her. "Say, you got any gems? Like, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, maybe crystals?" She chuckled, replying, "Gems? Actually, I think I have a few lying around."

~/~

The quartet reached the pile of rubble that was the lab. Nothing stood there, no trace that it had ever been the birthplace of many-a philosopher's stone. The larget transmutation circle was gone, as well, lost under the fallen concrete. Sighing, Ed rang his mechanical fingers through his hair. "See? I knew it was nothing. This place has been down ever since we, eh, interfered." He and Al shared a look, one of a sad and yet mischevious remembrance.

"So, there's nothin' here, then?" Applejack spoke up, kicking a rock to the side. "Well, shoot. Whaddya s'pose we do now? Head back?" She glanced at the sky, starts already twinkling into view under the indigo sky. "After all, it's already night. I bet everypony back at the inn is wonderin' where we've been." Ed sighed and went with her, stepping back onto the street.

A guard came running towards them, gun raised. Before anyone could react, he shot Al's head clean off. "S-Stop right there!" He shouted, rushing at them. Ed turned, clapping his hands and putting his palms on the ground. The earth shifted, a piece of street jutting up to slam into the man's face. Ed picked up his brothers helmet, tossing it to him as he strode over to the man.

"Well, well, lookie here," Ed picked the guard up by his shirt collar, "Mind tellin' us why you're guarding a dump? Or is it more than that?" The man growled, not spilling anything. "Suit yourself. Al?" His brother appeared behind him, clenching an armored fist. A shriek from behind drew away their attention.

Twilight had been subdued by a second one, with Applejack kicking wildly at another. Ed dropped what he was doing and ran to their rescue, only be stung in the back of his neck. He noticed AJ had a similar reaction, dropping to her knees and being roped from behind. Ed's vision blurred, his brother calling his name from somewhere far off, or so it seemed. With a muttered reply, he slipped to the ground.


End file.
